COPING WITH DISPLACEMENT –DYNAMICS OF DISPLACEMENTS AND STRATEGIES APPLIED BY URBAN POOR POPULATIONS

The presented research findings focus on displacement of urban poor populations in the Global South in relation to gentrifications by investigating their situation in the original neighborhood and those locations coming after displacement. Gentrifications are conceptualized for that purpose in a pluralistic sense as suggested by Lees, Shin and López-Morales [2015]. Accordingly, it is questioning: “What is happening during the process of displacement with the population of the Urban Poor?” and “How does the process look like and for whom?” by applying a participatory research framework. The paper aims consequently to enrich the displacement discourse about the dynamics of displacement in diverse urban settings and in particular its aftermaths for the affected population. Firstly, it will show that displacement is not a linear process or a single event in time, instead, it creates ongoing threats to further displacements and evictions and can in some instances lead to a cycle of displacement. Secondly, the paper also contributes in a broader perspective to the critical reflection on (western) gentrification literature.